White House blindsided on National Guard callout?

posted at 11:21 am on August 18, 2014 by Ed Morrissey

What we have here is a failure to communicate. The unrest in Ferguson has continued for more than a week, including several nights of rioting, looting, and accusations in both directions of violence between police and locals (and outsiders especially). Missouri has tried at least two different police forces in attempting to restore order to the St. Louis suburb to no avail, so Gov. Jay Nixon’s call to the National Guard could not have come to anyone’s surprise today, unless they’ve spent the last couple of weeks on vacation.

“Folks didn’t know,” an administration official told BuzzFeed Monday. “The White House did not know they were sending it in.”

Nixon gave “no heads up,” the official said.

Nixon didn’t give Barack Obama a heads-up? The deuce you say! Gee, what might have been the problem — that Obama has spent most of the last week golfing, or the Department of Justice second-guessing Missourians over the last few days? Nixon had no particular requirement to notify the White House, either; the call to the National Guard is not a federal issue but completely within state authority.

The St. Louis County Chapter of the NAACP says it supports Nixon’s decision to call in the National Guard in Ferguson, Missouri, where tensions remain high more than a week after a police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The NAACP wants an apology from the Ferguson police department to the Brown family, presumably for releasing the videotape of the strong-arm robbery that preceded the shooting. Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson claimed on Friday that he had little choice in the matter. The media demanded access to the video via a FOIA request, and the police complied with the public-records request. That was prompted by the release by Ferguson PD of the police report on the robbery, though, instead of the report on the shooting itself, along with stills of the video — which certainly whet the curiosity of the reporters who got the handout at the briefing. Jackson’s explanation seems too cute by half, even if it did end up providing a clearer context of what led to the confrontation. The police certainly didn’t mind the release of the video, even if the DoJ wanted it kept quiet for its own purposes.

Obama returned to the White House for a brief break from his vacation to deal with the crises in Iraq and Ferguson, the AP reported earlier today:

Taking a two-day break from summer vacation, President Barack Obama returned to work at the White House Monday, replacing images of him bicycling and golfing on an island resort with those of him at the White House huddling over current crises with top advisers.

Obama interrupted his family getaway on Martha’s Vineyard, during which airstrikes in Iraq and violent clashes in a St. Louis suburb intruded on his golf and beach plans.

The exact reason for Obama’s return shortly after midnight remained unclear, though it appeared aimed in part at countering criticism that Obama was spending two weeks on the Massachusetts island in the midst of multiple crises.

After a week of photos depicting the president golfing or riding his bike with his family, the White House was making sure that press photographers would get pictures Monday of Obama in meetings with national security aides discussing Iraq and with Attorney General Eric Holder for an update on the federal response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old.

Still, Obama’s brief return to Washington was planned even before the U.S. military began striking targets in Iraq and before the standoff between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. The president was scheduled to return to Martha’s Vineyard Tuesday night.

Obama does have an option to federalize the National Guard in Missouri in order to take control of the situation there from Washington DC. That option is fraught with political risk, though, and not just from accusations of abusing his power. So far all of the political damage is being absorbed by Nixon. If Obama takes control by federalizing the National Guard troops in Ferguson, then he’s responsible for everything that follows from that point forward. And if Obama does seize jurisdiction through that mechanism, he’d better command those troops from the Oval Office rather than the fourteenth fairway.

Blowback

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The MO house and senate are controlled by Republicans by 2 to 1 majorities. Nixon has not reached out to the leadership of either yet, and has returned one phone call to the Republican Lt. Gov. in five years.

The St. Louis County Chapter of the NAACP says it supports Nixon’s decision to call in the National Guard in Ferguson, Missouri, where tensions remain high more than a week after a police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

$20 says the NAALCP’s reaction would be the exact opposite if the governor were a Republican.

Taking a two-day break from summer vacation, President Barack Obama returned to work at the White House Monday, replacing images of him bicycling and golfing on an island resort with those of him at the White House huddling over current crises with top advisers.

Normally, that would be the other way around.

“Talking a two-day break from hard work in the Oval Office…”

Obama interrupted his family getaway on Martha’s Vineyard, during which airstrikes in Iraq and violent clashes in a St. Louis suburb intruded on his golf and beach plans.

Poor baby.

I love how the AP phrases it. “Obama interrupted his family getaway,” as if it was such a difficult and unfair thing that Obama was forced to do. Then again, it probably was difficult for him to do.

After a week of photos depicting the president golfing or riding his bike with his family, the White House was making sure that press photographers would get pictures Monday of Obama in meetings with national security aides discussing Iraq and with Attorney General Eric Holder for an update on the federal response to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old.

Once again the whole world is disappointing Dear Liar. Why, now he has to interrupt his vacations for photo opportunities that he doesn’t like.

let’s all pray to The State to grant him the energy to get through this tough time.

Whether the national guard is federalized or not we know that some people will put responsibility of anything that happens at Obama’s feet.

America has 50 governors but when sh!t goes wrong the president is the only name people remember. It happened with Katrina and it has happened with everything under Obama. Things near and far are all in Obama’s power to fix or break. Even city level stuff are his responsibility now. He has to stop being responsible for Ukraine and Kurds and some backwater place in Afghanistan to come to a small city in Missouri and take blame for that too.

Mothers if you want your children to be presidents you have lost your minds.

Taking a two-day break from summer vacation, President Barack Obama returned to work at the White House Monday, replacing images of him bicycling and golfing on an island resort with those of him at the White House huddling over current crises with top advisers.

I saw Bernie Karik and others this morning suggesting Capt. Johnson screwed this whole thing by apologizing to the “community” on behalf of the police for the death and the riots. In essence admitting wrong doing by the police.

Obama does have an option to federalize the National Guard in Missouri in order to take control of the situation there from Washington DC. That option is fraught with political risk, though, and not just from accusations of abusing his power. So far all of the political damage is being absorbed by Nixon. If Obama takes control by federalizing the National Guard troops in Ferguson, then he’s responsible for everything that follows from that point forward. And if Obama does seize jurisdiction through that mechanism, he’d better command those troops from the Oval Office rather than the fourteenth fairway.

Obama is not about to do that. He fears sending any “boots on the ground” anywhere. He’s certainly not going to do that in Missouri.

Obama does have an option to federalize the National Guard in Missouri in order to take control of the situation there from Washington DC.

I think you are getting way ahead of yourself, Ed, and I’ll guess that you make this comment out of ignorance of the law. In fact, the option Obama would have has been effectively closed off for the time being, because Nixon took the action he did in bringing in the National Guard.

Here is the relevant statute for Obama choosing to intervene:

10 U.S. Code § 333 – Interference with State and Federal law

The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it—
(1) so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or
(2) opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.
In any situation covered by clause (1), the State shall be considered to have denied the equal protection of the laws secured by the Constitution.

It will take some time now for Obama to be able to act, since he will have to wait to see if Nixon is ineffective or not up to the task of quelling the lawlessness.

You mean Nixon didn’t tell Obama whose ass needed to be kicked? Poor form when you consider the administration has an agenda that centers on this being a race thing. They were trying to hide that video from the public because it didn’t paint their precious snowflake as the innocent that their propoganda wanted to be the narrative.

BTW, my mother grew up in Ferguson. She’s aghast this week that the two big items on the news are the conflicts in Iraq and Ferguson.

The NAACP wants an apology from the Ferguson police department to the Brown family,

Don’t hold your breath. A thug was killed. He had just committed a Strong Armed Robbery of an innocent business owner, then charged like a bull at a cop that was only armed with a gun. Thug got shot, thug got killed.

The police certainly didn’t mind the release of the video, even if the DoJ wanted it kept quiet for its own purposes.

And why, exactly, should the police have kept that video hidden from public view? It shows Michael Brown as a huge bully who literally stole by brute force minutes before he died. That’s part of the facts in this case even if the DoJ and the Martin family lawyer don’t want the truth- just carefully pruned nuggets to suggest that Brown was an innocent snowflake gunned down by a racist cop for no reason other than “walking while black.”

The exact reason for Obama’s return shortly after midnight remained unclear, though it appeared aimed in part at countering criticism that Obama was spending two weeks on the Massachusetts island in the midst of multiple crises.

I hate this “reporting” regardless if it’s on a Republican or Democratic president. Did anybody say or hint at this? No? OK, then let the reader decide why the President returned, rather than pass off flair-for-the-obvious speculation as reporting.

But….Obama can tell you the titles of the songs on the next Beyoncé record (unreleased) and when that Al Green “Best of” CD is coming out and what the hot new dance moves are on campus this fall and he has ordered that new fancy tech gadget which puts GPS tracking in ever golf ball….

This clueless WH is blindsided when the sun comes up in the east every morning.

Midas on August 18, 2014 at 11:51 AM

Yep.

Remember back in December of 2008, when all the lefties were in a tizzy because Obama wouldn’t be sworn in until late January? They were squealing and rending their garments because it was so friggin’ obvious that Obama should be allowed to take office immediately, so that this super-genius could immediately get to work cleaning up all of Bush’s messes.

The NAACP wants an apology from the Ferguson police department to the Brown family, presumably for releasing the videotape of the strong-arm robbery that preceded the shooting

Shouldn’t that be:

The NAACP wants an apology from the Brown family to the Ferguson community, presumably for failing to properly discipline Michael Brown, the man in the videotape of the strong-arm robbery that preceded the rioting

This is an easily available stick to beat him with: both events requiring him to travel back to DC were caused by his own actions.

Bif Malibu on August 18, 2014 at 11:52 AM

And, as was pointed out, both events came after the announced return from vacation for “meetings.” That being said, something’s afoot. Obama had to fly all the way back from Hawaii for sequestration negotiations. He was in a snit the whole time and left town again as soon as possible (the bill was auto-penned into law). So, whatever the reason for his return to DC, it is not fear that the public thinks he isn’t doing his job. The rat-eared bastard checked out of working months if not years ago.

Is there really a “right” time for that video to come out? Wasn’t the decedent a gentle giant until its release and then those who knew him had to admit he wasn’t perfect? Did he deserve to die, no but until I know how much responsibility he has in the outcome, I don’t understand all the choreography.

Knowing how The One likes to shift the blame, he’s got Holder to point at:

(from his Aug 14 statement-interrupting his Martha’s Vineyard vaca)
“He{Obama} also said that Attorney General Eric Holder will work with local officials to find out what happened…the local authorities, including the police, have a responsibility to be open and transparent about how they are investigating that death and how they are protecting people in their communities“

Is there really a “right” time for that video to come out? Wasn’t the decedent a gentle giant until its release and then those who knew him had to admit he wasn’t perfect? Did he deserve to die, no but until I know how much responsibility he has in the outcome, I don’t understand all the choreography.

Cindy Munford on August 18, 2014 at 11:59 A

Cindy.

If you were in a parking lot and you had a 6’4″ 290 pound male coming at you full force, ,would you shoot it? Or would you just let him kill you? That’s the question.

I know you have a very sweet and gentle heart. But sometimes, people just need to be stopped. By any means necessary. the officer was in distress. This man did NOT come after this officer with his hands up. He came at him like a Bull and he was shot like a Bull.